Fullerenes in Space
John P Maier1, Ewen K Campbell1
1Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 80, Basel, 4056, Switzerland.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|January 11, 2017
Summary
The detection of buckminsterfullerene ions (C60+) in interstellar space has finally explained the long-standing mystery of diffuse interstellar bands. Sophisticated laboratory experiments confirmed C60+ as the source of these enigmatic spectral features.
Area of Science:
- Astrochemistry
- Spectroscopy
- Materials Science
Background:
- The diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) are absorption features in starlight, observed for a century, with their molecular carriers remaining unidentified.
- Buckminsterfullerene (C60) was proposed in 1985 and synthesized in 1990, with its potential role in space considered early on.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the molecular carriers responsible for the diffuse interstellar bands.
- To confirm the presence and spectral signature of the buckminsterfullerene ion (C60+) in interstellar space.
Main Methods:
- Laboratory measurement of C60+ absorption spectra under cryogenic conditions (5 K neon matrix and conditions simulating diffuse clouds).
- Comparison of laboratory spectra with astronomical observations of diffuse interstellar bands.
- Analysis of astronomical data for absorption features in predicted wavelength ranges.
Main Results:
- Early laboratory spectra of C60+ (1993) predicted its absorption bands.
- Two diffuse interstellar bands were discovered in the predicted spectral region in 1994.
- Sophisticated laboratory experiments in 2015 confirmed that C60+ is responsible for these specific diffuse interstellar bands.
Conclusions:
- The buckminsterfullerene ion (C60+) has been definitively identified as the carrier of two prominent diffuse interstellar bands.
- This discovery provides the first molecular identification for these century-old astronomical observations.
- The study highlights the importance of laboratory astrophysics in solving interstellar mysteries.
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